


The Most Important Mission (Steve Rogers x Child!Reader)

by Goldenfire152



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Hydra (Marvel), Luis is a guest star, SHIELD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 03:49:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20370202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldenfire152/pseuds/Goldenfire152
Summary: It's been two years since Steve's adopted (y/n) and things are looking up. She becoming more of a child than an adult. She's playing more and controlling her powers better than ever. She's even going to school, despite her not liking it so far. Steve's happy that his daughter can be normal for however long it lasts before the next world threat. But when life takes a turn for the worst, Steve's driven to the edge to protect the little (h/c) haired girl. But he promised that he'd protect her no matter what, and he'd due before he broke it.Well, here the sequel to 'It Started With A Mission! I'm excited to say that it's here! I do not own Marvel or it's characters. They belong to Marvel, but mostly Stan Lee, may you rest in peace.





	1. Part 1

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Steve rubbed his eyes as he as he leaned back in his chair, sleep begging to overtake his eyes again. His head was leaning into his open palm as black blemishes were dancing in his slowly fading vision- “Ow!” he blurted as he instantly pulled his head back up from his desk, a dull stinging pain in his forehead where his face had smacked dab into the smooth surface. He sighed as he rubbed his blue eyes with the hand that WAS holding his head, before turning in his chair to look at the old clock on the wall. It was blurry from his sleepy eyes, but he could tell thanks to the clock hands. It was about ten fifty-five am, and Steve just wanted to get work done so he could finally go to sleep. He had been putting off the mission report for three days now, and it needed to be done by two thirty pm tomorrow. The blonde super soldier let out the breath of air he had been holding, knowing he wasn’t going to finish it tonight. Steve let out a long silent yawn as he stood up from his chair, going towards his dresser. Lord, he couldn’t wait to go to bed. He was going to fall asleep the second his head- “Ahhhhh! Daddy!” a voice screamed. Steve’s head snapped towards the source of the sound, intense fear instantly took him over as Steve slammed open his door in a flash before he practically broke down the door. It didn’t matter how tired the super soldier was, that voice could make him take down a titan of any size. It was his very reason for living. Steve opened the door, making it’s doorknob almost create a hole in the wall. “(Y/n)!” Steve exclaimed, looking around the dark room furiously, his eyes immediately adjusting to scout for any sign of danger. But he saw nothing except a small bundle of blankets lying in the middle of the bed that sat in the room. Steve could have laughed, or cried, at the amount of relief that over him at that moment. He had considered the worst outcome when he heard her scream and was happy to see that she wasn’t in that kind of danger. Steve exhaled, his tense shoulders loosening up before walking towards the bed, a sincere smile on his face. He could hear soft whimpers muffled by the thick sheets that were draped over them. “Ahhhahhhhhahhhh!” it cried. “(Y/n)? It’s Daddy” Steve whispered, carefully pulling the blankets off of her. And there sat little (y/n) in tears. It had been two years since Steve had adopted her, and she was six now. But the little (h/c) haired child claimed that it was six and a half, making the family of supers laugh every time she said so. But it was so hard to see the shy girl from before. She was… Well, more childish. She didn’t train as much, actually slept in now, played more, and wasn’t as weary to meeting new people. And finally, she barely cooked or cleaned anymore. But Steve loved that, she shouldn’t have to worry too much on making sure the house was in good condition in his opinion. It was more of a parents job. She had come a long way. Steve picked her up and set her in his lap as he hugged her close to him, his large form wrapping itself around her tiny one. “Shhhh… It’s ok,” Steve whispered to her, petting her hair in an attempt to calm her down. It seemed to work as she sniffed, her crying slowly, but surely, calming down till she was taking deep breaths. “You alright?” he asked her. She nodded her head against his torso, rubbing her hands against her eyes. “Y-yeah. I’m al-alright” she told him. “What happened?” he asked her in a calm voice. “I-I had a bad dream!” she said, bursting into tears again. Steve shuffled around the bed until he was laying on the bed with her tucked under his arm protectively. “Hey, it's ok. There's nothing to be scared of. What happened in the dream?” Steve asked his daughter. “W-well, at first I had a dream about the movie U-uncle Tony showed me when I was f-four,” she started.  _ Fuck you Stark _ , he thought bitterly. “A-and then it got all dark and scary. I don’t know how, but I was running away from H-HYDRA!” she cried, her fingers gripping Steve’s fingers. Steve looked at her with a solemn gaze. He’d give anything for her to be able to forget her days in HYDRA. To be able to undo her suffering… “But that wasn’t the worse part!” she yelled, looking at him, tears flowing freely out of her eyes. “What was?” Steve asked her, ready to hold her. “Some creepy old man cut Uncle Thor’s hair off!” she screamed, burying her face in his chest. It was still for a split second before Steve snorted. He snorted. He tried, he really, truly did, but he still ended up laughing. His laugh was deep and rich as a grin settled on his features. “What’s funny?!” (y/n) asked him, her face showing both hurt and annoyance which only made the super soldier laugh harder. “Nothing!” Steve howled, clutching his abdomen. As he laughed, he watched as she sat up on her knees and annoyed look on her face. “I’m not lying! Some creepy all-powerful old man CUT UNCLE THOR’S HAIR!” she exclaimed, giving Steve the best stern look she could give him, but it was still funny. Steve went on laughing and rolling on (y/n)’s bed for what felt like hours to him before he finally calmed down. “Are you done now?” (y/n) asked him, her arms folded across her chest. “Yeah, I’m sorry, just… Thor? Of all people?” he asked her with a smile in his face. His lungs hurt from all the laughing he had done, and his cheeks hurt from smiling. (Y/n)’s annoyed demeanor changed, and she started to play with the ends of her hair. “It was the scariest thing” she told quietly. Steve’s smile shrunk before he shifted his weight so that it was all focused in his arms, which held him up as he was laying on his side.

“Hey, look at me, Uncle Thor may be a bit dense at times, but there is no way on earth-”

“It wasn’t on earth”

“That’s not the point. The point is, I promise that nothing will happen to Uncle Thor’s… uhh, beautiful golden hair,” he told her. “I mean, I can’t even imagine Thor with short hair” he said. Steve’s heart warmed up as he saw the little (h/c) haired girl’s face produce a small smile before it disappeared, and a frown replaced it. “Does that mean that HYDRA’S not coming back?” she asked him. Steve’s mind was drawn blank at her words and his throat felt as if it was blocked. But he was able to swallow thickly before he looked onto her (e/c) eyes. Steve lay down and pulled his daughter close to his chest. He could feel his heart steadily beating against her body, letting him know that she was there, safe and sound. “I love you, you know that? You know that I would never let anything happen to you, right?” he asked her. He felt her nodded, nuzzling into him. “Then remember this. I will love and protect you as long as I live, until the day I die. And even if HYDRA gets you, I’ll beat their butts six feet under. You’re not going back there without a fight” he told her. Steve rested his head against the pillow on the bed. It was so soft and fluffy, he could have fallen asleep then and there. And before he knew it, the world began to slow down again. Just as the world was about to turn back, a yawn made his eyes flutter open. It wasn’t loud, but ti was just out of pure instinct. Eventually, it quieted down and he hazily felt (y/n) moved within his arms, making herself comfortable. “Thanks. Night Daddy. I love you” she said before finally laying down in her bed. Steve couldn’t help but smile. He never thought that he’d ever hear those words come out of a child's mouth, to HIM at least. But he wasn’t going to question it, but be thankful he had it. He fought hard to keep her once Fury’s so-called “superiors” found out that their next big super duper emerald crime fighter was now under his care. It took a lot of sleepless nights and a week of court (along with a lot of money that Tony took care of without breaking a sweat) before he was able to officially be able to keep her. But it was worth it. And she was his child to love, raise, and teach.  _ Teach… Crap, she starts school tomorrow _ , he thought. The avenger agreed it’d be a good idea to start sending (y/n) to a normal school while she was still young. They all decided that she needed more child social interaction. Steve thought it was a great idea. He loved school. He made friends, learned lots of things, it was great. Other than being shoved in lockers a lot… Okay, maybe he didn’t think it completely through yet. But as much as the blonde man wanted to care, he just couldn’t. His body was screaming bloody murder at him to just go the frick to bed. And he agreed completely. So, carefully as he didn’t want to wake his sleeping daughter up, Steve reached down and grabbed the blankets up and wrapping them around him and the child. And for the rest of the night, they slept peacefully, with nothing but sweet dreams.


	2. Part 2

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“No!”

“(Y/n), you don’t have a choice in this. You’re going” 

“But I don’t want to leave you!”

“Stop acting dramatic. It’s for a few hours, you’ll be fine”

“I’ll die if you drop me off!”

Steve sighed as stared off into the space in front of him in vexation. He. Was. Done. The Blonde super soldier woke up to Friday politely yelling at him to wake up before they had a chance of being late. He had never been yelled at by an AI, but he had a feeling Tony set that up to spite him. So he had to rush (y/n) out of bed, make breakfast, get her bathed, dressed, and have her backpack packed for her first day of school all under fifteen minutes. But the (h/c) haired girl didn’t seem to want to leave home. Steve could tell by the way her small hands gripped the edge of the elevator doors. Steve sighed in irritation. The two of them were currently in the lobby, and Steve could see the taxi just outside the door. He never liked to be forceful unless he had to, but this might call for some overpowering of the blue eyed man. “(Y/n) (m/n) Rogers. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way” he told her in a stern tone. Usually, she straightened up upon hearing her full name. But he watched in surprise as she only held on tighter. “Give me liberty or give me death!” she exclaimed defiantly. Steve would have laughed if he wasn’t as mad as he was. “Great God- Alright. Hard way it is then” he said as he shrugged his shoulders. In a swift and simple move, Steve bent down and wrapped his strong arms around her waist and picked her up like she was nothing but a piece of paper. “Daddy! Put me down!” she cried, leaning back to face him as he carried her outside. “I warned you” he told her, feeling relieved as he saw the yellow taxi still parked before him. “I have a right to stay at home!” (y/n) whined, folding her arms across her chest. “First of all, that's not how that works. Second, you’ll be fine” he told her as he opened the door and climbed inside the cab. It had a nice enough interior, being all black with comfy seats. (Y/n) sighed in defeat as she slid to the seat next to him and buckled herself in. Steve smiled at that as he did it also. But his attention was quickly drawn to the driver with black hair, tan skin, and a cheerful face. “Hello, my names Luis and I’m happy to be your driver on this fine day. Where ever you need to go, I’m your man. I know  _ all _ the best routes. I can go downtown, uptown, the ghetto- Wait, not the ghetto, I can’t go back there after what happened in the year of 1999…” Luis said, his mind seeming to stare off into his memories. A moment of silence passed as Steve and (y/n)’s eyes met with nervous looks. He sure talked a lot, that was for sure. “Uhh, we need to go to the school” told him politely. Luis smiled brightly as he started his car in a quick two seconds. “Ah, nice place. First day? Oh, you’ll love it! Lots of kids, learning, sunshine, and a playground too. More than my school had. I mean, we had a sand pit that the local cat gang used as a litter box, so nobody played in that, not even the preschoolers. I hear the teachers are really nice, except for Mrs. Bower. But she’s like, one hundred years old man! Girl gotta at least be allowed to be cranky at that age, know what I mean? Boy, the stories I could tell you! Oo, I got one!” Luis said in a rushed voice as he pulled into traffic.  _ It's like his mouth is trying to join a track team _ , he thought. Luis kept talking, more to himself than to his two passengers in the back, seeing as they weren't paying attention. The tall super soldier looked at his daughter who sat quietly in her seat, filing with her hands. She was nervous. Steve glanced back to Luis, who was talking a mile a minute. 

“- but the thing was, Enrique didn't like saucy burritos, so I was all like ‘the hell you doing disrespecting my Abuelita like that bro!’-”

The blonde man sat up straight looked down at (y/n). “I hear they have art in school. Maybe you can draw a picture of all the boys I’ll have to beat up for you,” he joked. (Y/n) frowned at his attempt to make her smile, looking down at her lap. Steve let out the breath that he was holding him, wanting to make her smile again. “You know, we’re not doing this because we don't want you at home with us. I mean, you'll come home at the end of the day” he told her. “But what about what everyone else? Bucky taught me history, Bruce taught me science, and Natalie was me how to knock out a guy using my pinky, and Wanda was helping me with magic” she told him. Steve‘s heart clenched at her words. While he loved being able to have her at home, there were just some things homeschooling can't teach someone. “We loved homeschooling you, but we want you to be able to be social. It's not as easy as it looks” he told her, lightly nudging her arm with his elbow. “I know that. I just want you to stay with me Daddy” (y/n) told him as she leaned on his arm. 

“- and I was all like ‘oh no you didn't!’, and she was all ‘oh yeah I did and you better back off boo’. I was shocked, to say the least-”

Steve wrapped an arm around her, holding her close to his side. “I know sweety, I know” he said. A smile made this way to his face when he felt her arms wrap around his torso in a hug. “And that's why you never mess with Roseita Chilla. It doesn't end well. Well, here we are” Luis said as he pulled up to a large building. It was a nice looking school with a respectable type of aura that surrounded it. Steve could see kids walking up to it, along with parents comparing the younger ones. It looked safe enough. Being a child with (y/n)’s background and family, Steve had to be careful in choosing a place for her to go to. He couldn’t pick a place that was too obvious, yet could let her be a kid after all the hard work the Avengers had done to give her that chance. Then there was the matter of protection and security that they had to discuss for hours on end with the principle. But they made it work. Steve’s mind was brought away from the school when the sound of a seat belt buckle detaching entered his ears. He looked down to see (y/n)’s seat belt already off of her, the small (e/c) eyed girl moving towards the door opposite of Steve. “Woah there, small pep talk before we go in, ok?” he said, earning a nod from her. “What is it?” (y/n) asked him. “Well, first of all, this is your first day, so I want a picture,” he told her. “Second, you can’t pull a magic trick on anyone here, and that is really important” he said, looking her dead in the eyes. “No pulling an Uncle Tony” (y/n) said. “That’s right! No pulling an Uncle Tony. That’s bad. Because then we have the press all over us at a gas station” he told her. “You mean like that time you flipped over how “expensive” milk was?” she asked her father. Steve’s blue eyes instantly lit up at the mention of his famous rant on how the prices of milk had gone up since the nineteen forties. “If it’s five dollars, then you might as well by a cow!” Steve exclaimed. “Preach bro!” Luis cheered form the driver's seat. Steve and (y/n)’s heads snapped towards Luis, having forgotten he was there. They felt bad at first, but that minor guilt was slowly taken away when they heard a loud bell ringing from the school. Steve’s eyes widened, and he reached inside his coat to pull out his old veterans baseball cap along with his sunglasses he kept with him wherever he went out in the city. “Crap we’re going to be late!” Steve said, pulling out his wallet and tossing Luis the amount that he owed the taxi driver. “Thanks for the ride, but we gotta go!” Steve said as he reached over (y/n)’s small body and throwing open the door. 

“Hey, you gave me some extra-”

“Keep the change!”

“What about your way back to your place? Kn-know what, I’ll wait here for you!”

Luis sighed as he watched the blonde man and his daughter sprint towards the school, one of them with a rushed demeanor, and the other with a loathing regret at their short life choices. “Ahh, cute pair. Nice tipper too” the black haired man said to himself as he leaned back, waiting for his customer to come back. Meanwhile, Steve ran through the halls, which were empty thanks to all the children “Daddy! Slow down!” (y/n) planted next to him. She was kneeling beside him as he slowed down, breathing in as much oxygen as she could. “Oh, sorry kiddo” he nervously laughed, the both of them walking the rest of the way. The pair walked through the halls of the school, lockers lining the wall, while projects were hung up above them. Some were writing, others art, and he saw on mobile that was decorated to hang a moon and stars. After walking for a few more minutes, Steve finally the door that belonged to the teacher that (y/n) was assigned to. 

“You ready?”

“No”

“There's no going back”

“Then let's go home. Bucky will be happy to talk about the good old days”

“ _ (Y/n) _ ”

“ _ Daddy _ ”

Steve gave her a stern though his sunglasses before lightly knocking on the door. A few seconds passed before the door was opened by a woman who appeared to be in her mid-forties. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a professional high bun, black round glasses over her dark eyes. While she wore a calm expression, Steve could feel a shiver run down his spine. Everything about this women reminded him of this one teacher that he hated back in the forties. The said teacher was mean as mean could get, and hated everyone and everything. She was a tyrant in the classroom and a demon anywhere else. The women in front of him wore the same calm expression that hides a whole other side, and even he wanted to hide like his daughter hid behind his legs. She was scared also. He was never letting Natasha pick school teachers again.  _ Ever _ . “Well, are you going to say something or are we going to stand here all day?” she asked. Steve blinked as he pulled his glasses away from his face. “Umm, I know I’m late, but my daughter goes in this class” the blonde super soldier said, swallowing what spit he had in his mouth. “Oh… I see,” she said. Her eyes trailed down to look at the small child hiding behind her father. Steve grabbed her hand and lead her out from her hiding place. The woman's eyes lit up before she kneeled down in front of the little girl, a tight smile on her face. “Hi (y/n)” she said. “Hello” (y/n) whispered back. “Shy, isn’t she,” the lady said. “Why don’t you get settled inside” she told (y/n). The (h/c) haired girl’s head snapped up to look at her father right in the eyes, pleaded him not to make her go. Steve sighed before picking her up and kissing her on her forehead and setting her back down. “I’ll pick you up at the end of the day. Love you” he told her. “I love you too Daddy” (y/n) said before she walked into the classroom, giving him one last look before she continued. The lady quietly closed the door behind her, facing him. Everything about her was serious, including her facial expression. “Ms. Keeler. How are you doing Mr. Rogers?” she asked him. Steve shifted his weight before shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’m ok as I can be today” he said. “First time?” she asked. Steve felt like it was an obvious answer. She had been filled in on the whole situation, so shouldn’t she have guessed that one? Well, he did get asked if he was born in America or was an immigrant before, so it’s not like it was the worst possible inquiry. “Yeah. I’m not that nervous, still…” he said, giving out a nervous laugh as he looked off to the side. “Well, don’t expect any sort of special treatment. She’s just another child to me” Ms. Keeler told Steve. “No objections here. Thank you. I think I better get going” Steve said. As he turned to leave, the blonde man heard the door to the classroom close rather harshly in his opinion. He didn’t want to admit it, but as he walked to the taxi that Luis was still in, he wanted to bring her home.

“Ya know, you kinda look like Captain America man!”


	3. Part 3

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“So how’d it go” Tony asked Steve, who was just walking in from another drive with Luis. “Never the same taxi driver…” Steve whispered to himself. Tony Gave him a weird look, clearly not understanding him. “What about a taxi?” the raven haired man asked. Steve waved it off, walking towards the coffee machine, which was already full of hot coffee with creamer next to it. “Nothing. She fought to stay, that's for sure. I kinda thought about taking her home right after left” Steve told Tony. “Aww, daddy wants (y/n/n) back?” Tony asked in a jokingly sad tone. Steve couldn’t help but glare at the billionaire. Tony chuckled at his reaction as Steve grabbed a cup from the cupboard and poured himself a cup of coffee, adding more creamer than was probably needed. “Careful, the sugar could ruin your figure!” Tony exclaimed from behind the counter. Steve rolled his eyes in reply, a small smile on his face as he took a slow sip, wanting to savor the feeling of waking up. One of the things that he thought was actually improved since the nineteen forties was the coffee. He didn’t know how, but it had a better taste and worked a bit better at waking him up faster. “I don’t really care about that. And besides, I need a better wake up than being screamed at by an AI” the blonde super soldier said. “Oh, you finally heard that. You’d think after living in the tower since the Loki incident for years you would set off my special personalized alarm for you at least once before today” Tony said. Steve's face was taken over by a bewildered expression and set down his mug on the counter. “Wait a minute,” Steve said, moving to the other side of the kitchens island. “You mean to tell me that you’ve been waiting over five years for me to wake up late so I could get screamed at by an Artificial Intelligence system?” Steve asked Tony, who only nodded his head in reply as he smirked in a way that made Rogers want to punch his face. “Yes, that’s completely true. I also got your reaction on camera. Thought about sending it to AFV. Especially when (y/n) knew it was FRIDAY and not a ghost” the raven haired billionaire said as he turned to look at something on his phone. “Shut up” Steve mumbled. “Oh please, could be worse. So, how did dropping off (y/n) go?” Tony asked. Steve sighed before going back to his cup of coffee and drinking it. “Well, we were a tiny bit late, but we made it” he said. “What about the teacher. I heard Nat chose whoever it was” Tony stated. “Mmmm, well…” Steve said, thinking back to the scary woman he had met earlier. “The teacher gave me goosebumps. I don’t know what it is, but she’s just… Kinda-”. “Scary beyond all reason with eyes that judge your soul as he decides whether to send you to some soul realm or something?” Tony suggested. Steve swayed his head back and forth and couldn't help but agree with his friend’s description. “Basically. I don’t like to judge a book by its cover, but she just freaks me out. Maybe it’s because she reminds me of one of my old teachers from back then” Steve explained to Tony. The genius billionaire nodded to himself, seeming to take in the blonde mans words. “Well, I’ve seen her picture, so I can get that. Why would Spider Mamma pick her again?” Tony asked. Steve shrugged his shoulder and set his cup down in the sink, having finished it during his conversation with his friend. “Beats me. I think it’s because she wants a strict teacher after all of the family treatment she got from us” Steve thought aloud. Tony nodded his head, silently agreeing with his friend. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been nice to his niece while he taught her what she needs to know. He thought everyone did at least once. All you had to do was look in those big “innocent” eyes of hers and cave in. “Yeah, I can’t differ with that statement. But I think that Lady was just a bit too scary for my liking. And I’ve been held captive in a cave by terrorists so…” Tony said to Steve, who shrugged his shoulders. “I know that they all can’t be nice, but she gave me goosebumps. It’s like that one thing that Peter has, the umm, the spidey sense. There was something ominous about her and I got a bad feeling when I know I shouldn’t” Steve said.

“I know how that feels”

Both Tony and Steve’s head whipped around to see Clint walk in through the hallways, a bag over his shoulder and his bow and arrows in his other hand as he wore his suit. Steve forgot the blonde archer was going on a mission for the week. A feeling of minor dread started to form in him. Clint had been a huge help in his uprising as a dad, and now his “mentor” was leaving him. It’s not that he was nervous, he’s handled two years of this on his own, but he still didn’t know everything about this public school thing. “Hey Clint, how you doing?” Steve asked. Clint shrugged his shoulders as he tilted his head. “Oh you know, off to work a little, maybe blow up a few things, accidentally destroy a building, dislocate my shoulder and what not. But I couldn’t help but hear your little problem with (y/n) going to school” Clint told Steve, setting his stuff down on the counter before putting his head in his hands, leaning on his elbows. “It’s just that the teacher freaks me out, and I’m thinking I’m not ready to let go yet” Steve sighed, looking down at the floor, leaning back against the other counter while facing his friend. “I hear ya” Clint said, standing up and slamming his hand against the countertop. “You do?” Steve asked, looking up at him with a surprised face. “Yeah, you're a first time parent. You got school blues. You don’t want to admit that she’s growing up on you, and you don’t want her to go, but you also want what’s best for her. Trust me, I’m about to experience this again for the third time next year” Clint stated. “Awww. Is daddy Hawkeye sad that he’s getting old?” Tony asked, his lower lips sticking out in a fake frown. Steve and Clint couldn’t help but roll their eyes at Tony’s whole demeanor. “Oh stop it Stark. Plus, aren’t you a few years older than me?” Clint asked the billionaire. Tony immediately shut up, glaring daggers right into Clint’s own eyes, as the said man wore a triumphant smirk. Steve couldn't help but smile at the two of them. It was no mystery who the most hilarious people in the tower were, and the two of them together could go to Las Vegas and become as rich as Tony was now. But they chose to be superheroes instead. Pity. “Oh shut it pigeon man” Tony growled, making Clint and Steve laugh at him. Steve could practically feel the anger and annoyance radiating off of the genius engineer. “Fine, you two laugh it off in the kitchen, I’m going to go work on st5uff that will help pay for the rooms that you guys have here, in the place I live” Tony huffed before he stomped away from them, leaving in the elevator with his back straight and arms crossed, making him look authoritative for once in Steve’s opinion. Clint and Steve chuckled at their black haired friend for a few moments before settling down. “So, she’ll be ok?” Steve asked Clint. “(Y/n)? Oh yeah. If anything, I’d be scared for the other kids. I mean, she still is learning how to control her powers. And while I don’t think she’d want to hurt a fly, her instincts might without realizing when too much is too much” Clint said in an informative tone, making Steve slowly nod his head to show that he was listening. He knew what Clint was saying. It was true that (y/n) wouldn’t dream of hurting anyone, she was still a child. She did have occasional moments where she would still pull out emerald weapons without thinking out of fear and felt guilty immediately afterward. But that was at home where no one was actually trying to do her harm. A school had bullies and frustrating situations that Steve couldn’t protect her from-. “Ow!” the blonde super soldier exclaimed as he brought it hand to rub the back of his head. It felt as if he had been over the head with his shield. He looked to his side to see Clint with a professional look on his face, his hand raised to shoulder level as if he had slapped him. Which he had, without Steve seeing it coming. “Hey, stop it. I know that look” Clint told him. “What look?!” Steve asked. He lightly touched the spot no the back of his head that felt as if it was growing, wincing when he felt nothing but pain. “How hard did you hit me?!” he asked Clint, who only shrugged his shoulders in response. “Honestly, not that hard in my opinion. Keyword, opinion,” Clint said. “But anywho, I know that face. Laura makes it every once in a while. Listen, as much as it would be great, you can’t protect her from everything. Think of it this way for me. If nothing ever happened to her, then nothing ever happens to her” Clint said. “Clint, that's a line from Finding Nemo” Steve said, his voice full of disbelief. Clint rolled his eyes with his arms folded, annoyance clear in his body language. “Ugh, can’t I ever say something cool without someone interrupting me? Of course it’s from Finding Nemo because Disney gives great advice!” Clint said. Steve could feel himself smiling at his friend's attitude. Clint was always the man to go to for advice because of this exact moment. The blonde man soundlessly chuckled at Clint, a strange feeling of having the world off his shoulders setting him at ease. It was strange how a friend could do that using such little effort without. Then again, the Avengers were like a family of sorts. “Thanks Clint, that means a lot to me. Now get going on your mission before your late” Steve said, making Clint’s eyes widen. The deadly archer’s head snapped to the watch on his wrist, panic in his eyes. “SHIT I GOTTA GO RIGHT NOW! SEE YA SOON STEVE” Clint yelled in a rushed state as he grabbed all of his belonging that he had carried in and rushed to the elevator, repeatedly pressing the button in a desperate attempt to make it open faster.


	4. Part 4

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Steve watched as (y/n) ran down the steps of the school as fast as she could, no doubt wanting to get out of the building and go home. It was Friday, so it wasn’t just (y/n) that was eager to get out. The blonde super soldier smiled as his daughter crashed into him, hugging his waist as tight as she could. “Let’s go home!” she exclaimed in an impatient tone. Steve silently chuckled her as he let her to the car. Steve never needed nor wanted a car since he’d woken up from the ice. The patriotic Avenger preferred to ride his trusty motorcycle than a car. But after a mere three days of having to ride in Luis’s taxi, he figured a truck would do just fine. Plus, it’s not like he couldn’t afford to or something. He WAS an Avenger. He wanted to take (y/n) on his Harley Davidson but figured she wasn’t old enough in his opinion. But that didn’t mean he wanted to take her for a ride any less. It was one of the things he wanted to do if he ever got kids back in the forties, but never thought he’d get the chance. And now he did, h just had to wait a little longer.  _ Someday Steve, someday _ , he thought as (y/n) got in the back seat while he started to pull out and drive. “So how was school?” he asked her. “It was fine. No one understood me when I talked in science. Now they say I’m an egghead” she told her dad as she began to dig through her backpack. “Is that bad?” he asked her. “I don’t know. But the teacher got mad because she doesn't like name calling” (y/n) said. “Well, that's good. Is Ms. Keeler nice?” Steve asked, looking at her through the rearview mirror. She was still digging through her backpack, a pile of papers next to her as she pulled out more before adding it to the pile. What in the world is she looking for?, he asked himself, going back to looking at the road. “Uhh… She scares me” (y/n) said in a hushed voice. Steve smiled at her response. “You and me both kid. So what makes her scary?” he asked her. “Well, she’s always watching me more than the other kids. I know you guys told her to keep me safe, but she just is creepy. Is it true that Aunt Natasha picked her out?” she asked her father. Steve let out a long breath that he didn’t know he was holding within him. “I’m sorry, afraid so. I hope it gets better... Hey, what are you looking for?” he asked him. “I drew you a picture as you asked me to daddy,” she said. He heard the sound of papers and other things being moved and rustle around from her backpack until she pulled out a single sheet of paper. “Here it is!” she exclaimed in a bright voice. Out of Steve’s peripheral vision, he could see her sliding a piece of paper onto the center council. “What’s that? Did you get in trouble?” he asked, a small swing of fear bubbling up. What could she do to land herself in trouble? For a second he guessed she might have used her powers, but decided against it. She was good at keeping them under wraps when she needed them to be. “No! You told me to draw you a picture. So I drew one of our family” she told him. The blonde haired super soldier immediately calmed down at his daughter's words, mentally thanking God. He couldn’t handle trouble in the first week of school. “Thanks, sweetheart. I’ll have to look at it when we get home” he said with a small smile.

==========================

Steve looked down at the picture in his hands, a warm-hearted smile on his face. (Y/n) was a very good artist for someone her age, and that was without attention to detail. He was always amazed at how well her pictures turned out. This one was no different. She drew something that looked like a family portrait, with Tony, Clint, Thor, Nat, Wanda, Vision, Bruce, and himself with (y/n) all together holding hands. It made him smile at two things. The first being that there was no way in hell a real family portrait would look as nice as the one in his hands. The second was just seeing the whole team through the eyes of the small child standing next to him in the elevator. “I’ll put it in my room, ok?” he asked. (Y/n) nodded her head in reply, a small smile on her face. It was only a few more seconds before the bell ringed, letting them know that the door would open.

“Yes, it was very traumatizing, but at least I brought back Banner”

“I still don’t think I lost though”

“Well you did”

Steve knew those voices! He’d recognize that rustic yet regal voice anywhere. “Thor! You’re back!” Steve exclaimed. As he walked into the room, he noticed that along with Thor and Bruce, Tony and Natasha were also there. Steve heard a small gasp as (y/n) ran across the room to see her Uncle Thor. The blonde man couldn’t remember the last time he saw Thor, as did (y/n). The last thing the God of Thunder did on earth was tell him and Tony about going to help the nine realms, and off he went with his magical hammer lifting him into the sky. But that excitement immediately died when he actually saw the blue eyed god. “Shit” Steve whispered to himself. “Language! There’s a child present” Tony said in an authoritative tone. But Steve could care less about that at the moment. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he faced the ground. “You cut your hair” Steve said. Thor gave him a confused look. It was obvious his hair was gone, but why did it matter? In fact, he thought Steve would like it. “Yes, my hair is cut, but why does that matter-”. “His hair got cut! Why did you have to get your haircut Uncle Thor!” (y/n) cried as she ran out of the living room in tears. The whole room was in shock at her outburst and an uncomfortable silence washed over the room, all eyes looking down the hall that the little (h/c) haired girl ran down.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Thor, you big dumb idiot, you made her cry down the hall again. WHat the hell man?”

“She seems to mourn my hair more than I did… What did I miss?” Thor asked in a quiet voice, not sure if he truly wanted to know the answer. “That’s my fault” Steve said. All eyes turned to him, and the super soldier could feel the glares practically drilling into his head, and razor sharp daggers piercing his skull. And that was without describing the amount of unholy rage inside Natasha’s eyes… He felt like a dead man standing there on the floor with everyone glaring at him. “What do you mean it’s your fault?” Natasha asked, slowly walking toward him. Steve’s eyes widened as she got closer and closer to him. The feeling was similar to how a rabbit felt in a corner as a bloodthirsty wolf that knew sixty ways to make a man disappear stalked towards him. Desperate to live, Steve looked towards the other three men in the room for help. His blue eyes bore into their own, internally pleading for help. But he was sorely let down when they simultaneously shook their heads furiously.  _ Well, screw you too. Best friends indeed _ , he thought. “Hey!” Natasha exclaimed, snapping her fingers and pointing towards her head. “Don’t look at them, look at me,” she said slowly. “Now, what was it you said? And don’t let out a single detail Rogers” she told him. And so he told them the story of how he was working late, how (y/n) had had a nightmare, and how he comforted her with his promise. He made sure that he told all the detail that he knew Natasha wanted to hear. She was already mad, he didn’t need to add on to the list. “And so, I told her that the day Thor got his hair cut would be the day HYDRA took her back for good” he said, completing his “report”. “Why on Asgard would you tell her that? That sounds like a bad idea, even to me” Thor criticized in a chastising tone. He sat at the table with Tony and Banner while Natasha leaned against the bar counter and the super soldier paced in the kitchen area. “I thought you loved your hair more than I love America, I’m sorry! Besides, what was I supposed to say? I couldn’t let her think that it was possible for Hydra to come back after we destroyed them,” Steve said, stopping to turn around and face his friends. But he got no reply. The whole room was silent as a grave. Steve’s posture disappeared, and his arms hung at his sides as he eyes narrowed slightly, though they still held a look of disbelief in them. He stopped breathing, holding it in his lungs like his throat was closed up. “They're gone… We haven’t seen them in months… Right?” he asked. Natasha sighed before she walked up to the group. “Yes, HYDRA is gone, it’s destroyed… but their people aren’t” she said carefully like she didn’t know how he would react. “What do you mean?” Steve asked. Nat looked down at Tony, nodding her head ever so slightly. Tony let out a long breath before he looked up at the ceiling. “FRIDAY, bring up file 0-89-7BS” he called out. “Here you go sir” the AI said before holographic screens appeared from the mini projectors on the ceiling. Steve walked over to them to get a closer look at the images and information that was on them. On them were a few murder cases as well as a list of suspects. But on picture stood out from all the rest. A red emblem of a skull with multiple arms coming from it. “Now wait a minute, I thought you took care of these guys, what happened?” Bruce asked, leaning in to look at the screens better. “We did, Wilson, Steve, and I destroyed their organization. But we couldn’t really track all their followers down without SHIELD to help us. But the agents are still out there, and it looks like they want the band back together” the redhead explained. “And you didn’t tell me any of this?” Steve asked, his words laced with anger. “This hasn’t been happening for more than a few days. What do you think Clint is doing right now? He’s going to one of the old HYDRA bases to get anything he can find. We didn’t want you to worry. If you worry, (y/n) will notice, and it’ll only be a matter of time before she finds out why. I don’t want her to lose her voice again Steve” Natasha spoke in a stern voice. Steve took in a deep breath as he felt his anger bubbling up. He couldn’t lose his head right now. Ignoring the fact that he wasn’t told about HYDRA attempting to rise from the ashes, Nat was right. He couldn’t let (y/n) find out. If she did, it would break her. “Fine, but we’ll talk about this later tonight” Steve said. “Wow… All this because some creepy old man cut my hair” Thor said. Steve’s body froze at his words, (y/n)’s voice filtering into his mind.

_ “I’m not lying! Some creepy all-powerful old man CUT UNCLE THOR’S HAIR!” _

“W-what did you say?” Steve asked, stumbling over his words. “Me? Oh, some creepy old man cut my hair before I fought Banner- And won!- in a gladiator fight” Thor said, holding his finger up as if to drill it into Bruce’s head. “Was he all-powerful?” Steve asked, his words seeming to blend together with the speed of his voice. “What? Who?” Thor asked, a confused look on his face. “The old man, was he powerful?” Steve asked again, going slower this time. “Well, he looked like a frail old man, but… I could have sworn it felt like I was in the presence of the creator of the universe” Thor said. Tony, Bruce, and Natasha all gave him a judgemental look. “What? I did!” Thor said. “Umm, I’m going to check on (y/n). She should have calmed down by now” he told them as he rushed out of the room.  _ Things are about to heat up really quick _ , Steve thought.


	5. Part 5

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Steve looked over the files on the coffee table with stern, unmoving narrow eyes, his eyebrows knitted together. He hadn’t looked away from the numerous papers since he got back from dropping (y/n) off at her school. The papers were strewn all across the surface, not caring of the mess for once. The file that used to house the papers, which was somewhere under all the said paperwork, held all the information the Avengers had on the small group of ex-HYDRA agents. It had everything from a list of dangerous people to possible future targets. Anger boiled in him as he stared down at a familiar face of a girl with (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes. His thumb softly rubbed against his last name, which was also hers, as it had been for a long time now. He wondered how all this trouble was going to play out. He, of course, hoped it all turned out ok. Though sadly, nothing was ever that simple for his family. The blonde haired man still felt angry at Natasha for lying to him for god knows how long about the recent HYDRA uprise, especially when he could’ve helped. Or they could’ve at least let him know what they were finding, just…  _ something _ . Frightening scenarios filled his head and put him on edge. What if (y/n) had got kidnapped and he would’ve had no clue because his team didn’t want him to worry. _ Screw not being worried. Caution keeps you vigilant, arrogance gets you killed _ , he thought. He wondered how long had Tony known about it? He figured not long because he knew for a fact that the raven haired billionaire would have “accidentally” left some files around that Steve would happen to notice. That was the thing about Tony Stark. No one could ever completely hold him down. He always was willing to break rules his own way whenever he saw fit. Even if it was Natasha.  _ He’d do it to spite her, I know it _ , Steve thought. But his thinking was suddenly interrupted by a loud voice calling his name in a singsong voice. “Steve, You're needed on the fifteenth floor!” Tony’s voice called out through the speakers. His voice sounded flat and serious. A serious Tony was never good. Steve sighed as he rolled his eyes, his hands quickly gathering the papers and neatly putting them back into the file Natasha gave him. “I’m on my way” he said. Steve walked over to the elevator and pressed the button that would take him to the fifteenth floor, where he got out to see Nat, Tony, Thor, and Bruce. The fifteenth floor was mainly used for business purposes, such as meeting, negotiations, or signing contracts. So when he walked in, it was a nicely decorated room with a large table, each of the present Avengers in a seat. Steve’s blue eyes were immediately drawn to the big holographic screen on one of the walls. It showed a paused video of a semi-crowded street, ready to be played. “Alright, I’m here. What's up?” he asked. Tony straightened up in his seat, a serious look in his face. “So, don’t freak out, or get that look in your eyes that looks like satan” Tony said. “Look? What look?” Steve asked. “You know, it’s kinda like a smolder, only it looks like you wanna rip off someone's head while damming them to hell-”. “Tony!” Natasha exclaimed, her gaze fixed on the table. “Fine. Steve, we have a HYDRA sighting in New York” Tony said quickly. 

“...”

“...”

“When and where?” Steve said in a deadly voice. “I said no death smolder” Tony muttered. Natasha sighed before standing up and heading over to the screen. “The footage was taken a little over thirty minutes ago down in the outskirts of the city,” she told the room. Steve walked towards the screen along with her, his eyes never leaving the screen. They watched as the video played, an individual man highlighted as he zigzagged through the crowd. “Don’t worry, it’s on the other side of town. Far away from (y/n)’s school as possible. But I think they’re finally starting to scope the city for her” she explained, turning her head to look at everyone in the room. “Ok, well, what are we going to do?” Bruce asked. “We’re going to find him and bring his ass here for questioning. Steve and I will be on the ground, Bruce will be our guy in the chair, while Thor and Tony are in the air” Natasha said. Thor, looked down, fidgeting in his chair. Steve’s eyes instantly traveled to his friend, knowing at once there was something he was hiding. “What is it Thor?” the super soldier asked. The god of thunder’s eyes immediately moved towards him, a guilty look on his face. “I cannot help Brother Anthony in the air anymore” he said. “Why?” Steve asked. “I lost my hammer. While I have unlocked new powers within myself, I was only able to fly with my hammer” he told the group. Natasha walked over, leaning on the table with her hands. “Ok then, you can take with Steve and me for extra muscle” she said. “I don’t think that’s the best idea” Steve said. Nat, Tony, Bruce, and especially Thor stared at him with a perplexed look on his face. “Why not capsicle?” Tony asked. “Yes, what is wrong with me helping from the ground?” Thor asked, his eyes showing his angry and hurt emotions. “It’s not that your not useful, you are. But there are two things I’m worried about. One, you have no clue about the layout of the city. You don’t know how to get around because you’re not navigating your way in New York that much. Secondly, you only used your powers one time, and from what I gather from you and Bruce, it was more instinct and adrenaline than control. I think you should try to practice with them more before using them in missions. If my daughter wasn’t on the line, I would wholeheartedly take you with us, but I can’t have room for error” Steve explained. Thor let out the breath he had been holding. “You make a convincing argument. I will stay behind with Banner, so long as you promise to bring this bastard here. (Y/n) doesn’t need this” Thor said, slapping the back of Bruce’s shoulder. Everyone lightly chuckled as Bruce gasped, notably in pain from Thor’s friendly slap. “Could you stop using your god strength for one second?! That hurts for a guy whose strength only comes out when he’s angry!” the scientist said, making his friends laugh harder. “Hey, maybe you should borrow one of my gym memberships Bruce” Tony joked. The laughter soon died down, and Steve looked up with a confident smile on his face. “Let's take these sons of a bitch down” Steve said. “LANGUAGE!” Tony and Natasha yelled, smiles still evident on their faces.

==========================

“You see him yet Steve?” the deadly redhead asked through the comm in her ear as she hid among the crowd. “Yeah. Can you see anything past the Starbucks stand though?” Steve jested as he casually walked down the sidewalk not too far from her. They were in a lower part of New York, and it was about noon. The streets and sidewalks were semi-crowded, but they still had for people to swiftly walk through in the busy city. He heard Nat lightly chuckle before she ordered her black coffee and paid, the brief conversation quiet and muffled. “It’s called multitasking. It comes with years of experience, as well as age. I thought you’d have more than enough, but I guess I was wrong” Natasha said. Steve could practically feel her smirking, and he could hardly see the back of her head. “Oooooh, that must hurt a bit, Stevie boy!” Tony’s playful voice said, cutting into the conversation. “Shut up Stark” Steve said. “Oh look, we made him mad Nat!” the billionaire exclaimed. “Feels good” the redhead whispered as the sound of her sipping her drink entered the comms. “Alright, can we find the agent, please. I have to pick up (y/n) in two hours” Steve said, rolling his eyes at his friend’s behaviors. Normally he’d join in with them, but he just couldn’t today. Not when this mission was for (y/n). “Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood a bit. You know, shake off some nerves. Uh, anywho, I just picked up a security sighting near you Steve. He should have headed towards a closed pawn shop” Tony told him. “On it,” Steve confirmed as he set a quick pace down the sidewalk. It didn’t take long for the blonde haired super soldier to reach the place Tony had told him about. His blue eyes scanned the streets looking for their perp.  _ Our perp… Crap, I don’t know what he looks like _ , he thought. He didn’t get a good look from the security footage, and even then it was a bit fuzzy. “Hey, Tony… What does he look like again?” he asked. “You’re looking for a man with tan skin, dark hair, about five foot six with a slight build” Tony told him. As if by fate, no sooner had Tony finished his description, Steve’s eyes landed directly on the man of his description.

“Black jacket?”

“Yup”

“Buzzcut?”

“ _ Oh yeah _ ”

“I found him”

“Good job Steve. Tag him” Natasha’s voice chimed over the comms. Steve didn’t respond but instead started to leisurely walk along the sidewalk on the other side of the road form man, keeping up with his pace. As Steve began walking, Steve noticed that the man's speed had sped up. And so did his.  _ Here we go _ , he thought. “I think he might run for it” Steve said, once again having to progress his speed. “I’m already ahead of you. Literally. I’m standing in an alleyway waiting” she told him briefly. Steve was in a light jog by then, and before he knew it, the man broke into a run. “He’s on the run!” Steve exclaimed. “I know. You got the street, I got the buildings. And Tony… Don’t do anything too public or stupid” Nat said in a vexed tone when she warned Stark. Steve watched as the man made a sharp turn, and ran across the street. He could hear the sound of tires screeching against the pavement as they were accompanied by car horns, no doubt honking at him. But he ignored them as he pursued his perp, his heightened metabolism keeping up with his heavy sprinting. But he was caught off guard when the man knocked over a souvenir stand in an attempt to put as much distance between him and Steve as he could. In an instant response, Steve jumped over it, landing firmly on the ground. “Geez Steve, were you a long jumper?!” Tony asked. “Shut it, Tony. I need him in a dead end to get him” Steve panted. Ahead, he saw the man make a left turn into an alleyway. Putting all the energy he had, Steve raced into the same alleyway, stopping when he saw the sight before him. He groaned in exasperation, leaning against the brick building as he took deep breaths. There standing before him was Natasha Romanoff standing over the unconscious, wanted man with a Starbucks coffee in her hands.

“Took him down with one hand”

“Are you  _ kidding _ me?”

“I told you I was ahead of you. In more ways than one”

“You could have told me you saw him coming”

“It was fun to see you so worn out though. You only get this sweated up when you punch your bag”

“I hate you”

“Love ya too amigo”

Their discussion was cut short when they detected the deep blaring honk of a car. Steve shifted around to see a black van pull up in front of the alleyway opening, the passenger seat window rolled down to reveal the one and only Tony Stark in the driver's seat with his iron man suit on. “Well hello there. I see you caught him first Nat. Congratulations” he said in a sing-song voice. Nat smiled, picked up the perp with little to no effort (coffee still in one hand) and threw him in the back of the van as she climbed in the back seat. “You coming?” she asked the super soldier with a smirk. “It was my turn to get him this time” Steve grumbled to himself. “Alrighty kiddos, let's go home” Toyn said as he pulled into the road and started his drive back to the Avengers tower. Suddenly, Steve’s phone buzzed, causing him to pull out his phone and see who was calling him. “Huh” he said in interest. “What?” Nat asked, narrowing her eyes as she watched Steve press answer.

“Hey Clint, what’s-”

“Get (y/n)”

“What? W-”

“Now dammit!”

“Why, what's wrong?”

“I got all the info from the old base, and decided to review it on the Quinjet on the way home”

“What did you find?”

“Ms. Keeler, yeah, her name is Gertrude Albo. She’s a HYDRA agent Steve! The guy was a distraction!”


	6. Part 6

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The room was dead silent as the six Avengers watched the man struggle against the restraint in his chair on a screen. They were all at Tony’s top floor, while the agent was in the very bottom. On another screen beside the security footage was the news channel reporting a code red incident that had happened while the team was catching the HYDRA agent in town. 

“Today, the nearby primary school was put into a state of shock as a code red was mysteriously put into motion. Police report a missing teacher and student. The teacher is a woman between ages forty to sixty, while the student is a young girl from ages five to seven-”

Steve, a scowl on his face, angrily turned it off, unable to hear any more of his failure. He had one job. One, single, focus for that mission hand he failed without even realizing it. All he wanted to do was protect his daughter, and he couldn’t do it. The most disturbing part to him was that it happened right under his nose and he had no idea.  _ I should have switched teachers, talked to the principle, just… something… But I did nothing _ , he thought, his lifeless blue eyes falling down to the floor, his hands gripping his forearms as they were folded across his chest. He felt nothing. It was like a switch was flipped. He just felt so lost in himself. “I’m sorry Steve,” Natasha whispered, a quiet sniffle escaping the redhead. “I’m so, so sorry. I chose that teacher, this is all my fault” she said, despairingly holding back tears. “Don’t blame yourself. You’re the best at recognizing HYDRA agents from a mile away. If you couldn’t have known, none of us even had a chance” Steve told her, not looking away from the floor. Clint swallowed the lump in his throat, resting a gentle hand on his best friends shoulder. “I can’t believe they got her back…” Tony mumbled, leaning against the table. “No, there has to be a way to get her back! Isn’t there a stronghold that these HYDRA beings have that we can find?” Thor exclaimed, the tips of his fingers sparkling. Steve turned around to face Thor, a serious look stuck on his face. “They do. HYDRA always has a main base that they report to. But we don’t know where that is” Steve said. “We do not. But  _ he _ does” Thor said, pointing at the security footage of the prisoner still trying to get out of his restraints. Everyone's eyes flew up to the screen, a shared hateful glare digging into it. “I couldn’t agree more, point break,” Tony spat, turning to face the redhead and super soldier. “You two are on interrogation” he said, earning a nod form the two. And just like that, they were off to the elevator. They stood in silence as the elevators floor screen showed them going lower and lower into the building. “I really am sorry Steve” Nat whispered, looking away from Steve. The tall man looked at his friend with empathetic eyes. While Steve was the most heartbroken about his daughter being kidnapped, Natasha was the most guilty in blaming herself. She was the one who picked out the teacher. It was her job in choosing a suitable teacher to make sure that (y/n) would be safe in the school. And her decision caused her niece to be taken by HYDRA again. While Steve may have no true idea what Natasha was feeling, he could at least imagine. “I meant what I said. It’s not your fault” he told her. Natasha’s eyes tore away from the wall to look at Steve. He could see the unwavering thankfulness in them. He watched as she took a shaky breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. Her hand raised to wipe away the growing moisture in her eyes before sighing. “Thanks, Steve. Let’s go beat the living shit out of a guy to get your girl back” she said, a sad but joking tone in her voice. The solemn aura shifted ever so slightly as Natasha said this, feeling somewhat in higher spirits. The silence was broken when the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal the prison floor. The prison floor was the lowest plane of Stark Tower, as well as the coldest. It wasn’t as nice as the rest of the tower, but it had the highest level tech to prevent any prisoners from breaking out. Steve didn’t go down there often, but still had his fair share of experiences inside. The two friends footsteps echoed against the metal-tiled floors as they walked up to the cell that the unfortunate HYDRA agent resided in. After punching in the password, they stepped inside. Steve’s face set into a horrifying expression as he laid eyes upon the man strapped to the chair in the center of the cell. At the sound of the doors opening, his head snapped up to come face to face with his captures. The expression on his face said that he was dangerous, but the look in his eyes that Steve saw told him otherwise. The super soldier saw nothing but worry and fear in them. A part of him was happy that the agent was scared, that he feared for his life like his daughter was doing right now. He knew that it was his emotions talking, but the feeling kept on growing, manifesting in his heart till the feeling spread to the tips of his fingers, making them tingle a bit. Natasha cleared her throat before walking in front of him, a terrifying look in her eyes that convey her desire to kill him. “How has your stay been so far?” she asked in an emotionless voice. The man scoffed at her. “Gee, I don’t know. I was knocked out and woke up strapped to a futuristic electric chair!” he exclaimed. His voice was deep and full of an angry venom. But his tone surprised Steve.  _ He seems surprisingly lippy for someone in his position _ , Steve thought. “Yeah, it only gives you a little shock, but we can change that for better or worse. But that depends on you, of course” Natasha said. “What makes you think I know the information you want?” he asked them, his words coming out like a snap. “Oh you better have the information we want if you want even a  _ fraction _ of a chance of making it out of here alive” Natasha said slowly, her signature glare in her green eyes. “Look, I don’t know what you want to know, and even if I did, I don’t think I’d tell  _ you _ ” the man said. It was silent in the room for a few seconds before Steve threw a punch, his fist hitting the man’s jaw. “Ahhhh!” he cried, his jaw blazing with pain. “Let’s start off with your name” Steve said. Natasha looked at him with wide eyes but did nothing. He couldn’t tell if she was in shock by his actions, or if she was just expecting him to snap eventually. Maybe it was a bit of both. “I tell you anything, I’m a dead man,” the prisoner spoke, his mouth hanging open a bit. But his unyielding attitude was quickly remedied by Steve raising his fist to strike him again in a swift motion. “RYAN! MY NAMES RYAN!” he cried, his body edging away from the super soldier as much as it could against the straps in his chair. Natasha stepped forward, her arms crossed. “I think you’ll come to realize that we’re scarier than anything HYDRA could come up with,” she whispered in a haunting tone. “So, I have a deal for you. Help us and we’ll make sure HYDRA never finds you. Ever” she said. Ryan huffed at her, a doubtful look in his eyes. “Really?” he questioned in a skeptical voice. “Well, my friend here could use you as a punching bag. I'm sure he’s really pissed off at you for the kidnapping of his daughter. Not to mention a God of Thunder, a Hulk, an inventor, a master archer, and me…  _ The resurrection of hell _ ” she told him. Ryan swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. “So.. what you do people want to know?” he asked. Steve and Natasha looked at each other, their eyes speaking the triumph that they couldn't express. Steve turned back to look at Ryan, his hellish smolder on his face. " _ Everything _ you know about my daughter" he answered.


	7. Part 7

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Steve pulled up a chair next to Natasha's seat, his venomous glare never leaving Ryan’s face. “Ok, so… I just talk, and then I leave?” the man asked, still tied to his chair. “After we get (y/n) back, yes. We’ll still need to check up on you from time to time to make sure you're not going back to HYDRA, but that’s pretty much it” Steve told him. Ryan nodded his head, sighing before he turned to look at Natasha. “Alright, let’s get started. I kinda have a dog to get back to, and he’s not housebroken. Shit is a pain to clean up” he said, sitting as comfortably as he could be strapped to a chair. Steve looked at Natasha, his brow lifted as a sign of him questioning if this was the right guy. Natasha cleared her throat before pulling out a taser, the electricity glowing and cackling, making Ryan’s eyes go wide at the sight of it. “If we find out that your lying about anything, this will only be the first phase of many in revenge,” she told him. “Now, what connections to HYDRA and (y/n) do you have?” she asked, her eyes cold an unwavering. Ryan’s eyes clouded over, and his gaze trained themselves past Steve and Natasha as if he could actually see his life playing out before himself. “I joined around sixteen, and I had to do the rookie jobs. Mostly throwing out bodies, and cleaning up the blood. They were all either failure, or just people kidnapped to use for training the others how to kill. It was horrifying at first, but I got used to it. Then I got a “promotion”,” he said a slight pause in his words. “I was placed in security detail after I had to improvise on a mission. And I’ll give you a guess who” Ryan said, raising his eyes to glance back and forth between the two Avengers before landing on the super soldier. “(Y/n)...” Steve said eagerly. “Bingo. I was shocked at first, seeing a kid so young, but I couldn’t question it. Never spoke to her, or even interacted with her. I was there on Mondays and Wednesdays, and it wasn’t anything I would want to go through. She’d walk in the lab, and I'd hear screaming” Ryan said, saying the details slowly. Steve’s hands tightened into fists, his nails digging into his skin. The area around them was turning red, but he barely noticed. “Why? Why did she have to go in the lab?” he asked, his throat closing up. “Well, an obvious one was to make her powers grow. It was scary, seeing her being forced to test them out on people afterward. She once had to converge a person arm into pure emerald” he explained. “Oh my god…” Natasha whispered breathlessly. “She’d scream and cry, but that didn’t stop anyone. It was either continue or die. But eventually, it just stopped. Not a single sound came out of her. Some of the other agents and I called her Silence. But it wasn’t just her powers they advanced… It was also her mind” Ryan said. “Wait, what?” Steve said, holding his hand up as he fixed himself in his seat. “What do you mean her mind? Like what they did to Bucky?” Steve asked, anger and worry lacing his voice. “No. The Winter Soldier got far worse treatment than her. HYDRA took away knowledge, wiping him clean every time. They added stuff inside her brain” Ryan told them. “Adding? Explain” the redhead ordered him. “Ok, so an adult brain is different than a kids brain, right? It can do stuff that kids can’t. Like lying. Kids can’t learn how to lie until around four to five. They’re still developing into everything a human can do. HYDRA thought that if they could put a grown-up into the body of a kid, especially one with powers, they’d have a major trump card. Because who expects a kid to be a terrorist. And what the hell would you even do? Punch or tase them? No!” he exclaimed. Steve breathed, his mind going blank as he took in this new information. His (y/n) went through all of that? He knew HYDRA put her through things no child should ever go through, but this was just sick. This was stuff that adults could barely handle. “Wait, a minute,” Natasha said. “You’re saying, (y/n) is an adult in a child's body?” she asked. “Yes and no. The experiments were never completed, so she still thinks like her age. But she can still comprehend most things that adults can. Her powers and brain are equal to that of a nineteen-year-old. She’s probably the most mentally advanced child of her generation” Ryan said. Steve stood up from his seat, unable to believe what he was being told. It couldn’t be possible… It shouldn’t be possible. Yet, it explained everything. Her ability to draw beautifully, cook delicious food, and process things kids her age couldn’t. The room was silent and Steve could feel all eyes on him, waiting for him to anything. So, taking an unsteady breath, Steve calmed his nerves. He had to have self-control if he wanted to get his daughter back. Turning around, Steve stood tall. “Why did HYDRA want her back?” Steve asked, focusing on Ryan. “Well, I got a knock at the door and five guns in my face saying they needed me, so I couldn’t do much. Then I was dragged to an old building. They wanted to complete the experiment, and use her as a weapon to bring back HYDRA. They also mentioned something about a global uprising, but they didn’t say anything else about the topic” Ryan told them, looking between them. Natasha looked towards Steve, her eyes conveying what she wanted. Steve looked between the two of them before nodding his head. Having permission, Natasha pulled out control from her pocket, pressing one of the buttons, setting Ryan free from his chair. “Remember what I said. We find out that you lied, you won’t have to worry about HYDRA,” she said, glaring at him as she and Steve walked towards the door. “Come on, you’re helping us plan the rescue mission. We’ll need a list of possible locations too” she said as the prison door opened.

==========================

“Woah Woah Woah WOAH!”

“Tony, list-”

  
  


“WOAH. What, the HELL is the deadly HYDRA assassin doing out of the highly fortified cell?!”

Steve let out a good long sigh, closing his eyes as he tried to release the tension that had been quickly building up over the last few hours. Tony and Bruce stood on the other side of the room, while Thor and Clint had joined Steve and Natasha near the door to welcome them back. Ryan, Nat, and Steve had just walked into the meeting room that they had left a bit ago. And while the super soldier and master assassin didn’t expect the rest of their team to welcome the HYDRA agent with open arms, he at least thought that they would accept his help, with minimum threats, of course. “I agree! He agreed to this too easily, so who's to say this isn’t part of a plan?” Banner said, folding his arms as he took a step towards Tony, further demonstrating his agreement with Tony. “This is our only lead, Tony. I want to find (y/n). I don’t like the idea of working with him either-”. “I’m right here you know…” Ryan mumbled as he stood off to the side as the team looked like it was heading into a heated debate. “-But that doesn’t mean I’m going to dismiss all options. If he can help me find my daughter, I will see it through. Besides, he already knows the cost if we find out that he’s lying. Then, you can go at him and he goes to that government underwater prison” Steve told him, his blue eyes narrowed as he looked into Tony’s, pleading with him to trust Ryan for a short amount of time. Tony stared right back at him. The room was silent for a few seconds, until Tony finally moved, and sat down in a chair near him. “Well? Get talking before I throw you out the window, buzzcut” Tony said. “Rogers, for everyone’s sake, I hope your right” Thor whispered, looking at him with conflicted eyes. “Me and you both” Steve replied. “Alright Ryan, start talking” Nat spoke up, nodding for him to talk. Ryan walked up from his little corner, so everyone could see him better. “Umm, well, most of the HYDRA bases were blown up to prevent anyone from finding all of the HYDRA agents, but they left a few up, in case we’d need them. And there’s only one place that (y/n) would be” Ryan said. “Where’s that?” Thor asked. “So, when (y/n) was in the lab, they had to let the energy go somewhere, or else it’d build up and become a biohazard to anyone else except for her. But it’d look weird if emeralds started to pop up out of nowhere, so HYDRA made an emerald mining company to cover it up. It’s only about fifty miles away from it, and I know how to find my way around the base, and can lead you through it” Ryan said. “How do we know it isn’t a trap?” Tony asked, glaring at him with the intensity of the sun. “I was supposed to be, like, DEAD by now. So if they see me there, I’m marked as a traitor and will be killed on the spot” the tan skinned man said. “Do you know the codes and data to get us in and out?” Steve asked him. “Yeah, for the most part. But some of the cameras are more protected, and higher to get to than others” he explained to the group. Clint stood up, a look of confidence crossing his features. “I can get them for you no problem. Plus, I think I know which base you might be talking about” he said. “How?” Thor asked. “Please, I’ve been a SHIELD agent longer than anyone else here. Do you honestly think I never once went on a HYDRA mission before you guys? I got a freaking nickname, and people said I was in a nest half the time” Clint said. Knowing this new information, the rest of the Avengers couldn’t help but nod their head or tilt their heads in agreement with the master archer. “Well then, it seems we have all the information we’ll need. So,” Steve said, pausing so he could look around the room at each of his teammates. “ _ Avengers, assemble _ ” he spoke in a serious voice. He was getting his daughter back, one way for another.


	8. Part 8

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The Quinjet held a solemn silence as it flew through the clouds, all of the Avengers, plus Ryan, sitting somewhere, preparing for the battle yet to come. Tony was sitting in the pilot's seat with Bruce and Thor next to him in the passenger seats, Clint and Nat were in the cockpit sharpening and loading weapons, and then there was Steve, and Ryan, who all sat in the seats. Nobody talked, nor did they really want to. It was a tense mission, one that would have a dire conscience if they failed… And that was without thinking what would happen if they couldn’t get (y/n) back. She had become more important than anyone ever thought she would. Now that there was a chance that she may not come back home, never laugh or ask questions again. Steve sat strapped in his seat, shield on his lap as he stared at it. His face held no emotion as he found it hard to imagine life before the little (h/c) haired girl like he only started to truly live when he met her. No… he only started to truly live because he was given something to live for. Now his world was on the verge of collapsing and it was all on his shoulders. Don’t think like that. I need everything you can get to get (y/n) back. I can’t afford to get distracted, he told himself. “Hey, you alright?” Ryan asked him. “Hm?” Steve hummed, breaking out of his line of thought. “Well, it’s just that you were looking at your shield a little too intensely, so…” Ryan said, looking off to the side as a heavy sense of quiet was laid over them. “Umm, yeah. I’ll be ok” Steve told him, a quick uncomfortable smile flashing before he pulled his lips into a thin line. His head turned to the side, his blue eyes wandering to look at something, anything, to focus on. Seconds seemed to agonizingly tick by like time was trying to kill them. The blonde man didn’t know what to do exactly. Whether they talked or stayed quiet, nothing appeared to lift the heavy atmosphere in the air. “I know it’s too late, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for all this. I’m not going to ask for forgiveness when I did nothing to earn it, but I just want you to know that. I truly am” Ryan told him his voice low as if he expected to be yelled at any second. Steve watched as he scratching the back of his neck before he sighed. “I don’t know if I can forgive you, but I feel a bit better to know that you know what you did was wrong. And I’m grateful that you’ve agreed to help us, but,” Steve started, a pause in his words as he wondered out loud. “Why? I mean, if you are sending us on a suicide mission, you know Natasha won’t hesitate to kill you, and that just here alone… And I don’t think a dog is enough motivation alone. So why take any risk?” Steve asked. He looked into Ryan’s eyes, looking for any hint he could find for any sort of reason, but he saw nothing but genuine emotion. “Well, truth is, the dog is amazing, and I’m offended that you don’t think that’s enough,” Ryan told him in an accusing voice laced with amusement, making Steve smile for a moment and relieved them of some stress. “But, there’s a girl. I met her a few months after I started to make a life after HYDRA. She was the one who wanted the dog, and I wanted a cat. So there was a hickup. But god, if it makes her happy, I am prepared to live the next fifteen years with a dog I hate” Ryan revealed, a serine look settling on his features. Something about hearing the ex-HYDRA agent talk about his life put the room at ease like everything was going to be ok. And even if it was a bit of a stretch, it was nice to feel that way for a short while. “You sound like you really love her” Steve said. “Yeah, I do. But that's what I messed up on. I made the best accident of my entire life,” Ryan said. Steve’s face contorted in confusion. What did he mean? “She’s pregnant, about three months along. HYDRA found out, and that’s how I got all roped into this shit,” Rayn told him. Steve’s heart painfully beat as he heard those words. He never considered that Rayn would have people of his own to protect. All he wanted to do was rescue his daughter and didn’t really think about anything else. But he was a dad, and it’s a dad’s job to put their child’s life about anyone else’s. And that’s what he was trying to do. Protect his kid, Steve realized. “Hey, Steve?” Ryan said, grabbing the blonde mans attention. “Yeah?” Steve replied. “If I die today, can you help protect her and the baby?” Ryan asked. Steve could hear the fearful desperation in his voice as Rayn asked him of this favor. “Yes. I will do everything I can… But we won’t let you die so easily. Once someone joins us on a mission, it’s kinda hard to get off. You may not be an Avenger, but you are apart of the team for however long it’ll last” Steve told him. The silence that settled between them wasn’t as awkward as it had been before, but a type of silence where each party knows that there was no bad blood left. One where everything was going to be fine. “Get ready everyone,” Tony’s voice rang out through the speakers, breaking apart any conversations that may have been going on on the ship. “We’re here” he finished. Steve’s face quickly changed to serious, and he turned to the man he had been speaking to just a few moments ago. “You ready?” he asked the ex-HYDRA agent. “Ready as I’ll ever be, man” Ryan replied, sending a smile.

==========================

The hallways of the old HYDRA base remained dark, but there were just enough broken lights to see where Steve, was going. The halls were covered in dust and grime, and he was pretty sure he saw a family of mice feasting upon their dead brethren. It smelled of death and decay, mold, and god knows what else that he didn’t even want to think about. Swallowing the lump in his throat, the blue eyed man tightened the grip he had on the straps on the round patriotic shield. Steve’s footsteps barely made any sound as he made his way down the hall, listening for any sign or clue of (y/n). He wondered how the others were doing. With the base being rather large, they each decided to search through a different sector of the base. And now here he was, in a creepy ass hallway waiting for a scream or a demon to jump him. This is not how I wanted the first week of school to go, he thought. Then, he heard it. Like glass shattering, and falling to the ground only to smash again into thousands of more pieces.

“Daddy!”

Steve’s breath caught in his throat before he broke out into a sprint, no room to think. He’d wing it when he got to his daughter. “(Y/n)!” Steve called, desperate for any kind of reply he could get. “Daddy! I’m in here!” she cried. Steve ran faster, his enhanced speed going into overdrive. Finally, he saw a broken door that was barely hanging onto the hinges that had the smallest amount of light flowing out of it. “I’m coming!” Steve yelled as he finally reached the room. But when he looked inside, he didn’t see anyone. The room was obviously a lab, with computers and experiment equipment in various placed of the room. Then he saw it. Gleaming in the dull light was the unmistakable shade of emerald. He ran to it, his eyes staring at it with a small resemblance of hope. One the small table in the middle of the room was a spot of emerald, almost as if that spot on the table was turned into the shining green gem. But however it got there, it meant that she was here on the base, somewhere. Steve looked around frantically, looking for some sign of (y/n), but as he looked, the super soldier saw more and more spots in the room where it was transmuted into emerald. They were all along the walls, floor, counters, basically, anywhere he looked in the room. 

“Daddy! Where are you!”

The sound of his daughter's voice caused his head to snap around. His face fell when he saw no sight of his daughter, and instead found the source of the light. It was an old computer screen, cracked and tilting from its natural position. Slowly, Steve walked towards it. The screen appeared to be frozen, having just finished the end of a surveillance recording. But it immediately started up again, only this time it was a different video clip. Noticing the familiar layout, Steve knew that it was the surveillance from the very lab he stood in. He watched as two familiar forms flickered on the screen. (Y/n) and Keeler, he thought. There was one other person there wearing a lab coat as he prepared several vials of a thick gray color. Steve figured he was a scientist. (Y/n) was strapped to the center table while Ms. Keeler stood at her side. “Is it ready?” the older women asked, staring down as (y/n) wiggled her hands, trying to free herself from her restraints. “Yes. But f the brat doesn’t hold still, then I could kill her. Should I prepare a sedative?” the scientist asked, opening a drawer from the counter and taking out a needle. “No. I have a feeling she knows it’s best to stay still if she wants a chance to live. Inject her now” Keeler ordered, standing aside. Steve could feel his nails digging into the fabric of his gloves. The scientist grabbed one of the vials and filled the needle with the gray substance before stepping towards his daughter. He watched as (y/n) frozen, the needle slowly slipping into her arm. Everything was calm as she was injected, but, then she began to shake. “Ahhhh!” she screamed. The lights flickered, and her screaming got worse. Then, the video cracked and went out, and a buzzing sound took over. “That daughter of yours is quite the fighter,” a voice said, causing Steve to whip around and take a fighting stance. Steve’s eyes widened as he came face to face with the very person responsible for this mission. “Hello, Mr. Rogers. It’s nice to see you again” Keeler spoke from the shadows of the doorway.


	9. Part 9

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Steve stared at Keeler’s shadowed figure as she stood in the doorway, blocking his only exit. “I mean, it has been awhile. The first day of school was a bit ago, wasn’t it?” she said, her voice void of any feeling. Steve wouldn’t voice it, but it sent shivers up his spine. He always thought the people with no emotions were dangerous. Nothing to feel meant nothing to hold someone back. The screen was shut off now, its footage replay done and spent.  _ Out of all the people she could have run into in this whole entire facility… the bitch has to run into me _ , Steve thought dreadfully. And he could already tell how it was going to end. In a fight to the death. With HYDRA in the picture, there was no other way. They never let an enemy live for long if they had anything to say about it. But he wasn’t here for a fight. He had priorities to take care of. And she was getting in the way, much to his dismay. “Where is my daughter Keeler?” Steve asked his face stern, conveying the seriousness of the situation. Steve watched as she took a step forward, but never stepping into the light. She directly avoided it, calculating her steps so not a single shred of light would hit her person. It was almost as if she was hiding something… “Now what fun would it be if I just told you?” she said smoothly with a dangerous aura in her voice. Steve’s eyes stayed trained on her, not wanting to risk her attacking while he was distracted. “Then tell me, what the hell you did you do to her?” he asked her, his hand motioning to the cracked screen next to him. “Oh that… Well, as the footage entails, a colleague and I continued the experiment” she told him. “I know that. What happened after the footage went out?” he asked her, a nasty glare thrown at her. He couldn’t tell if it scared her or not, not now she was fully facing him straight on. “What happened? What happened? Let me show you!” she exclaimed before she finally stepped into the light. As she said those words, he had expected to be greeted by the sight of a scarred face, maybe even some blood. But his breath hitched in his lungs as Keller become fully illuminated by the flickering light at the ceiling. “Oh my god…” Steve breathed in disbelief. The majority of her face was covered in dark green that reflected the light as if the skin were that a porcelain doll. It would have looked perfect if it wasn’t severely cracked with large portions missing. Steve could see a small trail of blood seeping from a crack, letting him know just how deep the crack went. But the most unsettling part was her left eye. Or it was rather the fact there wasn’t one. All that occupied it was in her eyes socket were serrated edges of emerald. It reminded him of the countless broken statues that he had seen after the attack of New York. All destroyed beyond repair.  _ (Y/n) did that? _ , he thought. “Tell me, Mr. Rogers, did you really think that she was only a test subject? We created a weapon. One that has been regrettably compromised by the likes of you and I see now that there is no hope for her to return to us. After I take care of you and the other Avengers, that brat is next. Without the most powerful leading members, they’ll fall apart, and the world is HYDRA’s for the taking” Ms. Keeler told him, hissing out her words. “That’s not happening. You seem to be sorely underestimating the abilities of my team. And I swear to god if you harm a single cell in her body, I’ll send you to the very god I swear to” Steve told her, blue eyes blazing with fury. He could feel the anger within him growing hotter and hotter, causing his hands to shake at the amount of restraint it took to not strike her. “Sentimental words can’t deny what she is! Do you honestly believe that she was normal to begin with? She had her powers long before we captured her! Whether she is from this earth or not, she is a monster!” she said. Something in Steve snapped. Like the past few hours of stress and worry had finally reached its limit, raging throughout his body as it boiled his blood. And that was how the first punch was thrown. Steve could feel the sting in his knuckles as it connected with her real shin rather than the emerald on the other side of her face. He watched as she staggered back, her feet steadily gaining the sense of ground it had lost. It was all a blur, and the next thing he knew, she was lunging him with a gleaming blade gripped tightly in her hand. If it wasn’t for his enhanced speed and reflexes, Steve had no doubt that she would have struck a fierce blow. Thinking fast, Steve drew his shield up to his chest, successfully preventing the dagger from piercing him. The blonde man shoved his shield as hard as he could into Keller, his increased strength sending her crashing into the hallway. She was quick to get up, only to lose a bit more of her face. Steve watched as sparkling green dust fell from her face, evidence of a rough crash against the wall. She scowled at him, taking off down the hallways. Steve was quick to follow her, staying right on her tail, but giving her space in case of any traps she may be leading him into. While Steve had many advantages over her, such as age, size, and enhanced capabilities, she had something on him that he didn’t. Knowledge of their terrain. Out of all the advancements that Tony had, holographic GPS and mapping were his favorite. It allowed him to see anywhere the enemy might hide, where they knew where to go. But now he had none of that. He was running aimlessly through the halls, vulnerable to any hiding place or trap the deadly HYDRA agent might be leading him into. The hallways were dark, but he could clearly hear her footsteps, acting as his path through the corridors. They echoed against the walls along with his. Then, they just stopped. He didn’t know when, or for how long. It was just like they disappeared. He could physically feel goosebumps on rising on his arms. Then, he felt it. A feeling that can only be developed after years of fighting, missions, and having to survive. He didn’t know where from, but he knew it… he was being watched. In a flash his shield was in hand, ready to strike at any second. His ears strained, picking up any and every sound it could pick up. It was silent, save for the drip drops of water from the tileless ceiling pipes, and scurrying of mice and rats on the cold concrete floor...

Bang!

Steve turned around, a bullet ricocheting off of his shield as Keeler jumped from the shadows. The knife cut through the air, and Steve felt a slight stinging sensation on his cheek. Steve raised his hand to his face, pressing his fingers against the painful scratch, only to hiss the second it made contact. He looked at his fingertips, covered and smeared in his blood. It's not too much, it’s only an artificial cut. At least it’s not bad, he told himself, looking up to face the deranged women. The look in her eyes was that of a killer, and he was the only thing in her line of sight. Keeler let out a battle cry, her fist flying up to land a strike. Steve’s eyes widened as his hand caught her fist just in time, twisting it behind her back. She let out a groan of pain as Steve pushed her forwards until her front was against old and rusted pipes that scaled the walls. “You can’t win this! I won’t let you!” Steve screamed at her, using all his strength to keep her from escaping. Her breath came and went in heaves like it took everything she had to push the oxygen into and out of her lungs. “You should learn that you can’t win every time, Captain” she raggedly breathed before Steve found himself being shoved backward. Feet fumbling for a split second, he never lost his foot, nor his fighting stance. But as he looked up to face the HYDRA agent, she kicked the pipes and the hallway instantly filled with pure white steam. Steve’s head turned away from it as his eyes instinctively shut as the steam hit his face. The pipe hissed loudly as white vapor continued to stream from the broken pipe. Forcing his eyes open, the air grew warm and moist as the light reflected off of the millions of water droplets in the air, creating a curtain of muddled lighting and shadows.  _ Goddamnit! This woman is relentless! _ , he thought as his eyes darted around the area, looking for any sign of her. Then, he felt a swift blow directly to his spine, forcing him to the ground. His back seared with pain, but it felt different. The strike wasn't caused by a punch or kick, but rather a weapon. It was harder and had a more dense feel to it as it struck his back, rather than a fist or a foot. Steve groaned in pain as he stood up, his back feeling as if he were as old as he actually was. “Shit…” he whispered as he once again took his fighting stance. His muscles fought against him, trying to convince him to stay down against his will to fight. But he got right back up, despite the pain he felt in more than one place in his body, feeling the bumps and bruises he had all over his large frame. “I can do this all day Keeler!” he exclaimed, trying desperately to keep a level head. Being dazed and out of sorts was going to get him killed, and he had a daughter to rescue. The only response he got was a quiet, cold laugh that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Steve whirled around, only to be met with another blow, his face the new target. He reeled back, tiny dots of black and white dancing across his vision. He could feel something dripping from his nose, and an iron taste burst on his tongue. “Look at you. You’re fumbling around like a child! If the great Captain America can’t make it out of this fight, imagine how the others will fair against me!” she exclaimed, stepping into his range of sight, throwing a punch to painfully connect with his jaw. Steve shook it off, facing his opponent. He was right about her having a weapon of sorts. In her other hand was a thick broken pipe, most likely the one she broke. Steve lunged in her direction, throwing his fist in her directing only for her to swiftly avoid his line of fire. The steam started to disappear around him as he moved, instantly turning around to throw his shield, the circular targe soaring through the air in a straight line for Keeler. He sighed with relief when hits aim proved true and bounced off her torso. He watched with precision as it bounced off of the auburn haired women, the wall, and towards him before he caught t with natural ease. As Keeler clutched her stomach, Steve took his chance and ran straight for her. He raised his shield, Keeler reacting by Kicking him square in the chest. The air was forced out of Steve as his back brutally hit the floor. His ribs felt as if they were on fire, burning from the core to the surface. He could practically feel the cracks in his bones, screaming at him that they were there and needed to leave. But what caught his attention most was the splitting headache in the back of his head as it slammed into the concrete floor, a crater holding his slightly bleeding skull. He groaned, the world disappearing more and more by the seconds. Sound all muddled together, everything was black. The pain throbbed in this head as the blood pulsed back and forth through his vein, and for a split second, he considered blacking out. It was so tempting. He body already wanted it, he just needed to get his mind on board… Then, he heard the clicking of a gun being cocked, and his eyes sprang open. He looked into Keeler’s eyes, the barrel of the gun pointed at his head. “Make piece Rogers” she told him, a murderous smirk plastered all over her face.

“Yeah, how about a different approach, Ms. Daisy”

Tony’s voice echoed throughout the hallway, standing behind him. Steve never knew he could miss the arrogant billionaires shining red and yellow iron suit so much in his life. “Tony…” Steve groaned from his spot on the floor. 

“Geez, you’re getting old. Can’t even take down a fifty-year-old woman anymore”

“I’m forty-three!”

“Either way! You’re not a spring chicken no more!”

Keeler glared at him in a way only the great Tony Stark could get. “Either way, he dies!” Keeler said, taking aim at Steve’s head. “Yeah… No” Tony said, raising his hands, glowing blue blast rays shooting her way. The blast knocked her back, sliding a long way down the hall. Tony rushed to Steve heaving him up to his feet. “Come on, get up, You have to leave now” Tony said. “What?” Steve asked. “Ok, listen carefully,” Tony said, taking a needle before plunging it into the blonde man's bicep. Steve’s eyes widened, and he hissed in slight pain. “I just injected you with some pretty good painkillers that also acts as a healing enhancement” Tony explained, his eyes trained in Keeler’s direction. “It hurt!” Steve told him, looking at him with an upset expression. “Everything hurts, what’s your point? Nevermind! Listen, (y/n) isn’t in the building” Tony explained. “What?! Where is she then?” Steve asked. If his daughter wasn’t in the facility, then why was the female HYDRA agent to keen on keeping everyone out? Was she trying to make them think she had something they wanted for bargaining? Or was it supposed to be a mind trick in her favor? “I don’t know, but she’s outside somewhere. If anyone has any chance of finding her, it’s  _ you _ ” Tony said. Steve stiffened at his friend's words. And Tony’s eyes had every hint of genuine belief in his own words. Steve nodded his head, determination filling him. He could feel the injection working, as the pain already started to dull. “Wait, what about-”. “I’ll take care of the ol’ bat, don’t worry. Besides, I’m a bit offended she thinks she can take me down,” Tony said, making Steve smile. “Now go! Vamos amigo!” Tony told him. And that’s just what Steve did. He ran as fast as he could towards the exit, he heart beating with hope.


	10. Part 10

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Steve ran straight out of the building, the fresh air hitting him in the face after being stuck in the stuffy underground building. His blue eyes burned as the light filtered through the gray clouds. It was by no means a bright sunny day, but it was certainly brighter than the dark tunnels he just came out from. The intense pain he felt in his chest and head moments ago was nothing but a dull ache as the blonde man paused in his running, catching his breath as his eyes wandered around the area. It was nothing special. It looked more like a driveway path than a secret entrance to a bloodthirsty terrorist organization facility. His eyes scanned over any and everything he saw, looking for something out of the ordinary. At first, he couldn’t see anything. There were no broken tree branches, any sign of blood (much to his delight), and no shining bits of emerald anywhere. As his breathing slowed, Steve walked outwards from the door.  _ There has to something that I can track… Footprints! _ , his mind screamed, thoughts in a scrambled wreck. His head looked down the second he thought of them, desperate. As he walked, he didn’t see anything but gravel, rocks, and dust. Every so often he’d catch sight of little bugs crawling around, but he ignored them as they had no importance to him at the moment. It wasn’t until he hit fresh green grass that he saw anything. It drew him in like iron to a magnet… A small pair of footprints planted firmly in the damp mud. Steve stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of it, his breathing caught in his throat as his heart leaped with joy. (Y/n) was alive… he knew for sure now. And better yet, judging by the distance from one foot to another, she was still strong enough to run. Steve looked up from the ground, breaking out into a run. “(Y/n)!” he yelled. The super soldier ran without stopping, going farther and farther away from the old base. His feet lead him from the entrance to the facility and into the nearby forestry surrounding it. The woods were shady, with roots twisted and gnarled as they surfaced from the ground. There were no golden streaks of sunlight that filtered through the trees like the park he’d always go to with (y/n) or Sam, only clouded gray light that was just there. The air was cold and damp, making the earth soft so his foot settled into the soil whenever he took a step. Every so often he’d step on the random stick, loudly snapping it into pieces. “(Y/n)! It’s me, Dad! Are you there!” he shouted. The only answer he got was his echo. He stood still, listening for a noise. There was nothing, even the sound of the breeze whispering through the trees was absent. There was nothing out here. Steve knew his daughter. She was smart. She was an adult in a child's mind for god’s sake! He’d actually be a bit mad if he found out she chose not to run. Steve hung his head, eyes downcast. His blue eyes stared straight out into space, not focusing on anything in particular, just staring ahead. But he didn’t have time to wallow in worry, he had a child to find.  _ His _ child. Steve turned around, facing the way he came. The entrance to the old HYDRA base could still be seen from a distance, but just barely. He took a step, preparing to head back to his team. No doubt they were done securing the building. No, there was little chance (y/n) would stay this close to the facility. If he taught her better, she would run and get help...

“Daddy!”

Clearly, he didn’t teach her all that great. Steve’s head swung back to look behind him at an inhuman speed, causing his headache to spike a bit painfully. There was nothing new to see, only the same scene he’d been looking at for the last few minutes. Steve froze in his spot, not daring to move. He held his breath, not even risking the chance that his breath could block the slightest sound. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Everything was silent as if nothing had ever broken it in the first place. _ I’m going crazy, I have to be _ , he told himself. He stood there, waiting for another sound. Each second that ticked by felt like hours to him, agonizing him from his very core. Releasing a shaky breath, Steve forced himself to turn back and continue on his way back. “Dad! Stop!” (y/n) cried out. “(Y/n)?” breathed, turning around slowly. He was scared, terrified that he was imagining it all, and that she wouldn’t really be there. That his mind was playing tricks on him after all the beating he was put through earlier. But he turned around despite himself, the desperation to see his child blinding him of his fear. And the sight he saw almost killed him, his entire body feeling lighter, and the world so much more vivid. (Y/n) was running at him in full speed, tears streaming down her face. He could see mud, dirt, and grim all over any skin wherever it showed. Her (h/c) hair stood up in all different directions, giving her a rough and troll-like appearance. In fact, Steve was pretty sure he saw a twig sticking out in her hair. Her dress was more dirty than ripped, except for a small hole on her torso and a rip in the hemming. It was the same dress she wore when he had dropped her off at school. Her shoes were gone, he couldn’t imagine how, nor did he want to. He knew that he wouldn’t like it. Her shoes could be replaced, but she couldn’t… And here she was running towards him and all he was doing was standing there like an idiot. Steve couldn’t take it any longer. Overwhelmed by emotion, Steve ran straighter to her. “(Y/n)!” Steve exclaimed, dropping to his knees as they reached each other. (Y/n) rushed into his arms, her short arms and little hands holding onto him as tight as she possibly could. And Steve did as well, cradling her body in his arms. It was as if everything he went through in the last couple of hours didn’t even happen. All of the worry, all of the stress… it all melted away at her touch. Tears fell from the blonde man's face, finally able to let out all the fears and despair inside him, replacing it with relief and joy. (Y/n) shook as she cried into his chest, soaking his suit with tears and snot as she gripped the tough and sturdy fabric of his uniform. “You’re ok… Shhh, it’s ok baby…” he whispered softly, petting her hair gently as he held her. “I w-was so scared! Alarms went o-o-off, and then it got dark, and Ms. Keeler grabbed me and said to be quiet!” she yelled. “Shhh…” Steve cooed. “A-and I was brought he-here! She’s a HYDRA agent Daddy!” the (h/c) haired girl cried. “I know honey, I know…” Steve told her. She shook in his arms, and an unsettling feeling took over Steve, swelling up inside him, causing more tears to fall. How could he have let this happen? He was her goddamn father, he was supposed to protect her… and he failed. He promised her that he would never let this happen again. And now here he was, cradling (y/n) as she cried because he couldn’t even do something simple as detect a HYDRA agent. It was his job to do these sorts of things, and this time, his failure cost his daughter being captured. “Daddy? W-why are you crying?” (y/n)’s quiets voice asked. Her voice snapped him out of thoughts, pulling him back to reality. “I’m sorry” Steve breathed. “Why? You didn’t do any of this” (y/n) said, pulling away to look at her father's face. “No, but… I broke the promise I made you. I promised that you wouldn’t let anything happen to-”. “No you didn’t” (y/n) spoke up in a matter-of-factly voice. “What?” Steve asked, giving his daughter a confused look. “You never promised any of that” she stated, looking directly into his blue eyes. “Yes, I did. Remember when you had a nightmare? I promised you all that” Steve said. (Y/n) huffed out her breath, a look of defiance and stubbornness on her face. “I remember that night. The only thing that you actually promised, word for word, was ‘I promise that nothing will happen to Uncle Thor’s beautiful golden hair’. That was the only thing you promised. Sure it didn’t work out, but that was because an all-powerful old man cut it for him,” she told Steve. The blonde man’s mouth opened and closed as he remembered what exactly happened. “But you didn’t promise anything else. You stated something. And you kept true to that” she said. “Excuse me?” the super soldier asked, the wheels in his head turning at every word his daughter said. “You said that you would love and protect me until the day you died. And that whoever tried to get me would be put six feet under” the (h/c) haired girl explained. Steve stared at her in wonder, his face in complete awe. He could hear the truth in her voice, shining like a beacon of hope in the dark situation. She had no blame on him for this, and was willing to go as far as to defend her reasoning. She wasn't going to let him blame himself for something that he didn't promise, or had no control over. She simply wouldn't allow it. How he managed to raise a bright, capable, and strong girl like her was beyond him. He raised his hand, resting it on the side of her head. He smiled as she leaned into his touch. “You’re going to be a heck of a lawyer someday” he told her. “No, I’m going to be like you. We discussed this last year when I fought that one raccoon at Clint’s house!” she said. Steve smiled, a chuckle threatening to be let out, and lifted her up into his arms. “We’re going home” Steve said, causing (y/n) to nuzzle her face into his shoulder as he walked back to the jet.

==========================

“OH MY GOD, SHE’S OK!” Tony screamed as he ran in the quin jet, a bruise on his left eye. His iron boots echoing as he stepped up to his niece, trapping her in a tight hug. The rest of the team was there in toe, relieved smiles on their faces. Thor and Clint dragged two prisoners in cuffs each, mean looks on their faces to no doubt let them know that they meant business. Clint held a man whom Steve recognized as the scientist from the video clips he watched. He was smaller than he originally thought, his lab coat dirty and torn, no doubt from a fight with Clint. His arm was hanging from his shoulder at a weird angle, hinting at a dislocated shoulder that Clint had mercilessly “bestowed” upon him. And not too far behind was Thor, who roughly dragged a thoroughly beaten Ms. Keeler. Her hair was tousled in every which way, cuts, bruises, and marks adorning her already cracked and messed up face, missing even more of her said face than she had previously had. Bruce, Nat, and Ryan walked in unharmed, having not run into anyone. Steve could see the tears in Natasha's eyes at the sight of (y/n), rushing forward and engulfing her in another hug. “You ok?” Natasha asked, pulling back from the (h/c) haired girl. “Yeah, but I really want a cheeseburger and a shower. That sounds kinda nice” (Y/n) whispered into the redhead’s shoulder. Nat gave a tearful laugh, rubbing her back gently. “I think we can do that” she said. Steve smiled at the touching reunion. “Wow Tony, you really did a number on her” Steve said, turning to Tony. “Well, it’s hard not to when you look like something out of a Steven King novel, but I got her down long enough to restrain her. Thor heard the commotion, gave her a “little” shock” Tony said. Steve mimicked a wince at Tony’s words.  _ No wonder she looked like she fought hurricane Katrina. She fought hurricane Thor! _ , he thought. “And the scientist?” he asked. “Clint found him trying to escape, the coward” Tony said, causing Steve to glare at the two prisoners. “Into the brig, you go you mewling quim” Thor said. The room was overcome by a sudden deadly silence at his words. Everyone’s eyes immediately switched to Thor, who shuffled at the sudden attention.

“What?”

“Umm, we don’t have a brig”

“Really, that’s all you’re going to say, Clint?”

“What else do you want me to say?”

“He directly quoted his brother!”

“I can’t help it if my brother's words felt right!”

Nat shook her head at him, turning back to give all her attention to her niece. Steve stared at the scene as Clint stuck his tongue out at Natasha as Thor and he proceeded to find a suitable cell for the two prisoners. “He sounded a bit like Loki for a second…” Steve wondered out loud. Tony gave him the most disappointed look on his face. “I work with idiots” he muttered bitterly to himself, walking towards the pilot’s seat. Steve didn’t hear him, as he was walked to where the two girls were. “Hey Nat, I’m gonna take (y/n) to the med bay” he told her. Nat nodded her head. “Ok. I better go help Clint and Thor, god knows they most likely need my help” she said. The blonde man watched as she stood up, heading in the same direction that Clint and Thor had moments before. Steve looked down at (y/n), as she did at him. “Come on,” he said, holding out his hand for her. She took it, holding on tightly as he lead her to a small room filled with medical supplies and set her on the table. “Where does it hurt the most?” he asked. (Y/n) pointed to her head, shoulder, and knee in response. Steve went right to work on tending her wounds. He first started with a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, holding her hand as it fizzed slightly in the cuts and scrapes around her body. He told her that it was so she wouldn’t get infected, and that if it stung, it meant it was working. She didn’t take that to heart but kept it in mind as he whined about it. After a few minutes of trying to keep her from having a meltdown, he grabbed the band-aids and medical bandage. He was gentle in treating her cuts, using the utmost consideration in taking care of her. The room was silent as he did, nothing being said, no words exchanged-

“Are you really called the star-spangled man with a plan?”

“What?!”

Steve almost split the gauze in half at her words, memories of acting on stage across America surfacing back up. “W-who told you that? I mean, that's some pretty old stuff right there” he said, a nervous laugh at the edge of his voice. He could feel his cheeks burning into a flaming red despite his best efforts. “Uncle Bucky and Sam. They were babysitting me the last time you went on a mission and showed me some old tapes on the VHS player” (y/n) said, a serious expression dawning her face. Steve stuttered, desperate to find an answer that could satisfy her while dropping the topic. He now knew what Tony meant by “embarrassing school pictures”. 

“Well, umm, I-I, uhh…” 

“Was your first uniform really tights and booty shorts before you got your suit?”

“Excuse me?”

“Bucky said you used to be four feet tall”

“I was five foot two!”

(Y/n) giggled as she watched her father stutter. It was truly a hilarious sight to behold. The super soldier glared at her, only in proceeding in making her laugh harder, falling on her back. “Is this what Bucky was teaching you in history?” Steve asked, wearing his smolder on his face. “Only if I finish all my work for the day” she told him. “I’ll have you know that I lifted a motorcycle over my head!” he told her, desperately trying to save his reputation. “But I already knew that” she stated. Steve unconsciously pouted, turning to look away from his daughter as he bit the inside of his cheek.  _ Tony better hurry up because I am not talking about this for the next six hours _ , he thought.

==========================

“Come on, keep up” Steve said, holding his daughter's hand as she trailed beside him like his shadow. “Dad, should I really go back after a week?” (y/n) asked skeptically. Steve sighed, looking at her. “I know you didn’t start off really well, but you have to go. It’ll be good for you,” Steve explained as they walked down the halls of Stark Tower. “This time, we have three Shield agent there. I admit, it was a bad idea to have no one there for safety, but we’re doing it right this time. And, I even heard you made a friend,” Steve said, a small but proud smile adorning his face. (Y/n) turned away from him, unable to think of anything to say back to him. He smiled, knowing that he’d won this argument. “Plus, I have a surprise for you” he said as he turned to a door. “I’ve never seen this one before” (y/n) commented as Steve opened it, motioning for her daughter to walk in. She did so, stepping into a dark room. “That’s because you’ve never been in the garage before” Steve told her, flipping the switch. The lights revealed the large room that they were in, a variety of cars, trucks, and vans lined up in a neat and orderly rows. “Are these all Uncle Tony’s?” the small (h.c) haired girl asked. “No, not all of them. One of these is Peper’s, another one being Nat’s,” he told her, walking down the row until he stepped past his truck. “But these two are mine” he said finally. (Y/n) walked a bit closer until she was only a few feet away from him. “But there’s only one. You’re truck” she said. Steve smirked, walking past it. (Y/n) watched him earnestly as he eventually disappearing behind it. But he wasn’t gone for long as he rolled up his Harley Davison motorcycle past it’s hiding spot from behind his truck. Her eyes lit up at the sight of it, the light reflecting off of its smooth surface. “I didn’t know you had a motorcycle!” she exclaimed, running up to it as she stared at it in amazement. Her backpack bounced up and down, everything inside being jumbled from the force of it. He watched as her hands slid over its glossy paint, eventually brushing against the metal Captain America logo on the side. Steve’s heart tugged as she looked at him them his bike in a back and forth battle. He had thought long and hard on this. He originally wanted to wait until she was older… then shit happened. And he realized the most cliche lesson he had ever learned in his life. Steve Rogers, leader of the Avengers, learned to not wait out on life. That sometimes, certain memories can only be delayed so much before they can never be formed in the first place. Steve was concerned with her safety, and rightfully so as he was her dad, but he recognized the fact that he was a bit too concerned lately. He loved the feeling of the wind sweeping past him as he drove his bike down the street, and wanted to share it with her. So, as soon as he got the chance, he bought on that was just (y/n)’s size. “Are you going to get on?” he asked her, motioning to the extra helmet on the seat. (Y/n)’s head snapped up to him. She looked like she was inside a candy store with the way her eyes twinkled. “I can?!” she exclaimed. “Yeah. This is how I’m going to take you to school most days now. As long as the weather is nice” Steve said. She squealed in response, climbing up on the cycle and putting on her helmet. “Come one, let’s go!” she scolded, making Steve shake his head. He smiled as he placed his helmet on and climbed behind her. She giggled as it roared to life, the vibrating causing her to shake in her seat. “Hold on to the mini handles I installed” he told her, reaching in his pocket for the garage remote. He pressed the button on it, the doors opening almost instantly. All it took was a few seconds and off they went down the streets of New York City. (Y/n) laughed and cheered the whole way, a non-stop grin on her small face. The air had a chilly nip to it as the wind hit their face as it was still early in the morning. The sun had been up no longer than a little more than half an hour, causing everything to be tinted orange in the sunrise. Every time he turned or sped up after a red light, the small (h/c) haired girl’s eyes would widen, pressing herself into the bike and tightened her grip on her handles. It made Steve’s heart warm as he rode. But it had to end. As Steve pulled up to the school, something felt different than all the other times he had dropped her off. They both stared at the building as if it was about to move all on its own. “Well… We're here. Looks like we got here early, no one else is here” Steve said, breaking the tender silence. “Yeah,” (y/n) said, looking forward. Steve looked down at her, eyes blue eyes softening as he gazed on her. “I… I know why dogs like to stick their heads out the window now” (Y/n) said timidly, looking down at her hands that fondled in her lap. “Really?” Steve asked, his tone every bit as shy and hesitant as hers was. (Y/n) shook her head, her helmet making her look like a life-size bobblehead figure. “Take off your helmet,” Steve said, lifting his leg over the side of his bike, sliding off of his seat as (y/n) lifted her helmet off. Placing his hands on each side on her waist, Steve picked her up only to set her on the ground and take her hand. “Let’s go,” Steve said. They walked across the school's front lawn in comfortable silence, stopping a good distance from the stone steps to the door as he noticed a figure standing in the open doorway. Waiting for them was a young man in a janitor's uniform. “Are you David?” Steve asked. The young man smiled at them, showing his SHIELD badge out to the blonde man in his hand. “Yes, I am” David said as he put his badge back into his uniform chest pocket. Steve nodded his head, letting go of (y/n)’s hand and added light pressure to her back instead. (Y/n) stepped forward, beginning to cautiously walk towards David. He watched as she walked away… and he could feel his eyes quickly filling with water as he did. He finally understood what felt different about dropping her off today than all the others. It felt  _ real _ . All the other times dropping her off, he never once thought about (y/n) finally growing up. He didn’t want to face it, but what father would? She was taking her first step to the rest of her life, and it started to emotionally kill him a little inside. Steve’s lip quivered as he admitted he didn’t want her to go. He wanted to keep her back at the tower, even if it meant Bucky taught her  _ damn history lessons _ for the rest of her life. He wanted to keep playing with her, watch as she learned how to break a man’s neck with nothing but her foot or whatever Natasha taught her… But he had to. He thought of what Clint told him the day he asked for advice, his words echoing in his mind.

“ _ Listen, as much as it would be great, you can’t protect her from everything. Think of it this way for me. If nothing ever happened to her, then nothing ever happens to her _ ”

Those words rang with truth. He had to let her go… Steve turned away as tears started to stroll down his eyes, walking back to his motorcycle. He couldn’t let her see him like this with already red eyes with tears streaming down his face. Then she’d never leave him, as much as he wanted it. Each step was like a stab in his heart, and all he could do was wipe away the tears.

“Wait!”

Steve was almost to his motorcycle, turning around at the sound of her voice, before (y/n) leap into his arms. It was like a hot instinct flooded his system and he immediately wrapped his arms around her as she did the same. It didn’t take long to notice she was crying just as hard as him. “I love you!” she cried, pulling back. Steve hastily nodded his head, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. It was like that was all he needed to hear. His crying ceiced, allowing him to smile and look at her through a blurred vision. “I love you too,” he said. “I’ll pick you up after school, ok?” he asked. “Yeah. Can we go to that one diner you like?” she asked him. “Perfect… Have a good day at school…” he told her, standing up. (Y/n) smiled up at him, running back to David (who couldn’t help but cry as if he had just read  _ The Fault In Our Stars _ ), who opened the door for her. As she walked inside her school, she turned around, waving at her father. And Steve knew everything would be all right.


End file.
